John young



I. YOUNG. AUTOMATIC LOCKING DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC FURNACE REGULATORS OF THE THURY TYPE.

APPLICATION FILED .IAN- II. I9I9. 1,307,768. Patented June 2%,1919:

,27 2.6 2 49 25 flzi g a 3 j 9 4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN YOUNG. OF WELLAND, ONTARIO, CANADA.

AUTOMATIC LOCKING DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC-FURNACE REGULATORS OF THE THURY TYPE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 24, 1919.

Application filed January 11, 1919. Serial No. 270,765.

in the Province of Ontario, Canada, have.

invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Locking Devices for Electric-Furnace Regulators of the Thury Type, of which the following is the specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic locking devices for electric furnace regulators of the Thury type and the object of the invention is to provide means beam in a stationary neutral position imme iately the operating current of the furnace is shut off or a break takes place in the line leading to the furnace electrodes and it consists essentially of the following arrangement and construction of parts as hereinafter more particularly explained.

Figure 1, is a front elevation of a Thury regulator showing my device applied thereto and the connection to the electrodes shown dia rammatically.

1g. 2, is an enlarged perspective detail of my locking device.

Fig. 3, is a side view of my locking device.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the various fi ures. I

I will first describe the main features of a Thury regulator so as to make the construction and adaptation of my device clear.

1 indicates the rocking wheel of the re ulator provided with notches 1" and 1. wheel 1 is normally stationary and is provided with a depending arm 1 carrying at its lower end a cross head 1 upon which are supported contacts 1* and 1 2 indicates a rocking arm which has a rocking motion upon the shaft 2* upon which the wheel 1 is also mounted. The arm 2 is given a rocking motion by suitable mechanism which I will not here describe as it does not form any part of my present invention. It is merely sufiicient to say that the arm 2 is rocked continuously back and forth.

The upper end of the arm 2 is provided with an enlargement 2 upon which are mounted pawl mechanisms 3 and 4. 5 indicates a solenoid provided with windings 5 and secondary or induction windings 5. 7 indicates a lever mounted upon a bracket 5' connected to the core 5. The outer end of the lever 7 is connected by a tension spring 7 to a supplemental lever beam 8 which is pivoted at 8 in a bracket 9. The opposite end of the lever 7 is pivotally connected to the peripheral portion of the wheel 1. The opposite end of the beam 8 is provided with a pawl 8 which is so arranged that when it is lowered it engages with the pawl mechanism 3 and when it is raised it engages with the pawl mechanism 4. .When it engages with the pawl mechanism 3 the pawl is released so that it engages the notch 1 turning the wheel 1 by the rocking action of the arm 2 so as to carry the contact 1 in one direc tion and when the pawl of the lever 8 engages the pawl mechanism 4 the pawl thereof engages the notch 1 so as to turn the wheel 1 in the opposite direction and carry the contact 1 in a corresponding direction. The supplemental lever or beam 8 is provlded according to the usual practice with an open ended ortion 8.

10 indicates the movable electrode of the furnace and 11 the stationary electrode. The movable electrode 10 is supported by a cable 10 passing over the pulleys 10' and 10 to a windlass 10 which is mounted upon a shaft 110 which is connected by a worm gear 12 to the shaft 18 of a motor 14, the leads of the motor being connected by wires 15 and 16 to the contacts 17 and 18 with which the contacts 1 and 1 are carried into engagement as the arm 1 is swung from one side to the other. It will be understood that when the arm 1 is swung in one direction and the contact 1 is carried into engagement with the contact 17 that a circuit is closed revolving the motor in one direction whereas when the contact 1 is swung into engagement with the contact 18 a circuit is closed to revolve the motor in the opposite direction thereby by one operation lowering the electrode and by the other operation raising it. When the regulator is in the neutral position, that is, with the pawl of the beam 8 in such a position that it does not engage with either of the pawl mechanisms 3 or l the repulsion of the solenoid windings 5 is opposite and equal to the pull of the spring 7". Should the current decrease the repulsion of the winding 5 is lessened and the beam 8 is drawn down by the tension spring 7*. If the current increased to such an extent that the repulsion of the coil 5 overbalances the tension of the spring 7* the beam 8 is raised. In the first instance, that is, when the repulsion of the windings is lessened the beam 8 is drawn down by the spring 7 X and the pawl of the beam engages to release the pawl mechanism 4, the pawl of which engages with the notch 1 swinging the wheel 1 and the arm 1 thereof over to carry the contact 1 into engagement with the contact 17 thereby closing the circuit to revolve the motor so that the electrode 10 is lowered. If, however,,the current increases the repulsion of the coil 5 overcomes the pull of the tension spring 7 and the pawl of the beam 8 en ages the pawl mechanism 3, the pawl of w ich engages the notch 1 revolving the wheel 1 and swinging the arm 1 in the opposite direction to that previously described to carry the contact 1 into engagement with the contact 18 thereby closing the circuit in the opposite direction so that the motor 1-1 is reversed and the shaft 11 driven to raise the electrode 10.

It will be readily understood that when the furnace is shut off or the line is broken so as to reduce the current through the coils of the electro-magnet 5 that the pull of the secondary coil 5 will be lessened and the tension of the spring 7 will draw the beam 8 down thereby operating the pawl mechanism so as to close the contacts to continuously lower the electrode. To overcome this I have provided a locking device whereby the beam 8 is automatically locked in the neutral position immediately the current is shut ofi from the furnace or the line is broken. I will now describe .my locking evice. a

19 indicates an electro-magnet provided with a laminated U-shaped core 20 upon one arm of which is pivotally mounted an armature 21. The armature 21 is provided with a lever 22, the rear end of which is provided with a tail 23 connected by a tension spring 24 to the body of the magnet. The opposite or free end of the lever 22 is provided with an upwardly extending stud 25 upon which is mounted a V finger 26, the

copies of this patent may be obtained for he cents club, by addressingthe lower arm 26 of the finger being relatively short and the long arm 26 of the finger relatively long so as to engage with a normally horizontal portion 8 of the lever 8 should there be any tendency of the lever. to swing upward. One terminal of the electro-magnet 19 is connected by a wire 27 to one of the circuit leads 28, the other terminal being connected by a wire 29 leading to the lower electrode of the furnace. It Wlll thus be seen that if the circuit leading to the furnace .is broken or the furnace is shut down that the current will not only cease from passing through electro-magnet windings 5 but also through the electro-magnet 19 WhlCll becomes deenergized, releasing the armature 21, the lever 22 secured thereto being carried outwardly by the spring 24 so that the V- finger 26 thereof engages the portion 8. of the lever or beam 8 to hold it in the neutral position thereby preventing the contacts to the motor being closed so as to operate the electrode.

What I claim as my invention is.

1. In a Thury re lator, the combination with the balanced. eam thereof, of means operated automatically by the breakin or shutting down of the electric circuit lea ing to the electrodes for locking the balanced beam in the neutral position.

2. In a Thury regulator, the combination with the balanced beam thereof, of an electro-magnet bridging the electric circuit leading to the electrodes, a swinging armature co-acting therewith, resilient means for forcing the armature outwardly when the magnet is deener zed, and means carried by the free end 0 the armature for engaging thebalanced lever to hold it in the neutral position upon the deenergizing of the magnet.

JOHN YOUNG. Witnesses:

M. EGAN,

B. OORDINER.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

